After Image
by Miyo86
Summary: A cute little Tanya and Duke story ^^ Thankyou to Ottercub for the name, your a lifesaver!


Disclaimer: I don't own the mighty ducks(Biiiiiiiiiiiig surprise, right

Disclaimer: I don't own the mighty ducks(Biiiiiiiiiiiig surprise, right?) This takes place right after "To catch a duck"(I REALLY like the ending on this ^^but that's just my opinion)

"Oh, Tanya…." Duke moaned to himself as he plopped down on his bed that night. Falcone was in jail, so that should have made it easier to fall asleep. But still….he couldn't help but worry that he probably greatly devastated if not completely destroyed any chance of a meaningful relationship with her. Being trapped in a vault with a limited air supply does that to a person. He sighed again, for what seemed the hundredth time in a very short while. Two of his friends and teammates could have died tonight, and it was all because of him. The guilt alone made knots form in his stomach and he rolled over, knowing that it would be a very sleepless night.

Around 7:00am the next morning Duke was awakened by his alarm clock/ radio, which was surprising because it meant that sometime during the night he had actually gone to sleep. He sluggishly got up and dressed.

While on his way to the Cafeteria for breakfast, he heard something coming from inside Tanya's lab. Duke decided to poke his head inside, and he did, finding Tanya hard at work on some gizmo or another. "_An she probably hasn't had a thing to eat yet_" he thought to himself, smiling slightly. Tanya was known to skip meals now and then if she was really into a project. She wouldn't even sleep unless someone reminded her!

"Ya busy?" he said, watching her work over her shoulder.

"Oh! Um, uh, yeah, sorta." She replied, surprised by his presence." I've just gotta few more adjus..aju- uh changes to make." (Don't you just love her stutter?) 

Duke chuckled. 

"Your workin' yourself to hard, kid. Want ta join me for breakfast?" 

"I'll uh, come up in a little bit" she said hesitantly, not looking him in the eye. 

"Ohh..ok..see you later then.."

"Yeah."

Duke walked gloomily out of the lab, hands in his pockets and his suspicions from last night confirmed. Tanya heard the "swoosh" of the door closing and turned around to see the empty room. 

"I'm sorry." She whispered.

"Ok, today we're going to do some lizard scouting," Wildwing said, once everyone was gathered around the breakfast table(And Grin and Nosedive stopped their argument about whether Elmer Fudd could be considered a person). "Nosedive, you and Grin take the duckcycles. Duke, you and...Mallory use the Migrator. Tanya and I'll take the Aerowing." Duke's eyes widened a little at this. He was almost always paired with Tanya, something he found a bit suspicious of their leader, but never complained. He couldn't even remember the last time he and Mal were together.

"Got it?" 5 nods were his answer. "Duke can I uh, speak with you?"

Once the two were alone Wildwing explained his choices. "Look, I know your a little disappointed(Duke tried not to blush underneath his feathers)but Tanya's a little…hesitant to be alone with you right now. You understand?" Duke only nodded. Yeah, he understood perfectly. 

"You getting anything?" Mallory asked from her seat in the back, as she read the data pouring from the computer before her. 

"No! Just like the last twelve times you asked!" Duke shouted irritably from the driver's seat before he was forced to make a hard turn, trying to avoid something running across the road, slamming hard on the brakes. When the vehicle came to a lurching stop, Duke caught a glimpse of what had run in front of them. It was a tall man running quickly away from whatever store he had stolen the large T.V. he was carrying. "We'd better check it out"

Mallory muttered something about staying on task and the irony of one thief catching another, but he said nothing as they piled out of the car and began racing after the mystery person.

Far ahead of them, the mysterious man turned a corner, before de-morphing into his smaller form and setting the T.V. down. "Do you think it gets Cable?" The Chameleon asked, more to annoy Siege then to get an answer. "Oh shut up" the orange Saurian growled, bopping the other on the head. 

"Eh, no respect, no respect!"

"SSSH! They're coming!"

Although it was only early afternoon, the walls of the ally were tall and brick, not letting any light shine in, giving it a shadowed appearance. "I don' like this…" Duke started, as they walked along the barren ally way. "It's too quiet"

"Yeah" Mallory agreed, her emerald green eyes darting. "Maybe we should get out of heEERREEE!"she screamed as her feet were swept up from underneath her. After a few moments of confusion she realized that she and her companion were suspended in mid-air. " A net, how low-tech can you get?"

"Low tech" Siege said, stepping out of his hiding place," But effective."

"No stupid net is gonna hold Duke….L'Orange.." He said, his bravado cut short as his saber merely scratched the rope. " Wraith must have put a spell on it". He growled and folded his arms. The Saurians just laughed as they loaded the two ducks, net and all, into the back of the scout ship. 

To continue….or not…….

How'd you guess ^_^

"Wildwing!WILDWING! Come in!" Mallory hissed franticly into her communicator as the ship neared it dismal destination. Although the pair had been stripped of they're weapons for some unbeknownst reason, they had been left they're coms. Not about to argue, the two had been trying to reach their leader for several minutes.

"Wildwing here" the duck behind the mask finally appeared in the view-screen. "What's up?"

"Not so loud!" she softly scolded. "They'll hear you"

"Who"

"The Saurians"(Who had let them keep their communicators for this sole reason. When the others came gallivanting to their aid, they would simple destroy them all! 6 ducks with one stone, ne?) 

Wildwing's eyes bugged at this. "Are you guys ok? Where are you?"

"We're kind of… on the way to the Raptor." The aircraft dove suddenly, slamming the ducks into the nearest wall, before righting itself for perfect landing. 

"Correction." Duke said, rubbing his sore back " We're here."

"Tanya, see if you can track their com signals."Wildwing said over his shoulder. " Don't worry guys, we're coming. Wing, out." He sighed heavily as Mallory's face disappeared from the screen and he closed his communicator. 

"I've uh, um, got they're location" Tanya announced. 

"Alert the others, then lets move!"

The halls of the raptor smelled like some concoction of sewage, rotten eggs, and a million other vile scents. Neither duck pointed this out though, as they were too busy trying to escape Draganus's grasp, only to have his wickedly curved nails sink deeper into their skin. Hastily the two were swept into a musty cell and the cell door shut, while the evil Saurian gloated of his victory.

"Do you have a lockpick?" Mallory quietly asked, as soon as the Saurians had left them to await the other ducks arrival. Duke snorted and pulled one out of a secret pocket in his jumpsuit.

"You have ta ask?" Mallory just rolled her eyes as Duke set to work. "Just a little more to the right.."he said to himself a few minutes later, twisting the pick that direction. He was happily rewarded with a "click" and slowly pushed the door open, it squeaking on it's rusted hinges the entire way.

Water dripped from the ceiling, as they silently ambled through the seemingly endless labyrinth of hallways, creating the only sound. They stuck to the shadows, plastering against the walls if a stray drone should walk by. Without warning, a pair of large hands grabbed Duke and Mallory from behind. "What in blue blazesis mnign n!" he said as a hand was clamped over his beak. It took his eyes about two seconds to adjust and he instantly recognized the figure. "Grin?"

"We came to rescue you, but I see you didn't need our help," Wilwing said, further down the dark hallway, smiling from behind the mask. "Now let's get out of here!"

"I don't think so.."Dragaunus voice came from nowhere. All the lights were flicked on, blinding the team temporarily, but revealing that they were surrounded on all sides by drones and henchmen. "I finally have you right where I want you. Kill them, kill them all!" he ordered, and even before the last syllable wavered into silence, the two groups were brawling. 

Although he could usually hold his own in a fight, Duke found him self cornered, caught between a hoard of drones and wall of crates. Despite his valiant effort, the duck soon was pressed against the wall of crates, swinging his saber left and right. ' That doesn't look to sturdy' he thought, catching a glimpse of the top, where the boxes had started swaying. No sooner has he said this prophetic phrase, than the tower toppled, landing directly on top of him! He grunted in pain as a particularly heavy crate landed on his chest. 

'_Oh that cracked a few ribs',_ he winced. Duke painfully lifted a hand to his temple, to find his hand sticky and red._ 'Dis just gets better an' better'. _Shoving several boxes out of the way, he slowly crawled from under the pile... to hear the sound of several laser beams cocking. The drones… and his saber was somewhere in the midst of the boxes. Duke closed his eyes in defeat. _' Never thought it would end this way, did ya? Lord, ya' better make room.' _

He heard the laser the laser fire and felt…nothing but the heat of a few mis-targeted shots that hit the crates. His eyes snapped open to reveal Tanya blocking him, if favoring one arm, and getting in a few shots with her Omni-tool. Her hair was singed and black in some places and her feathers were visible through the many laser burns through her purple jumpsuit. "You ok?" she asked over her shoulder, immediately correcting herself at his grunt of pain. "I mean, uh, can you walk?"

"I think so" he coughed, the pain from his ribs making it hard to breathe. During a lull in the firing, she knelt beside him and, tearing a piece from her unitard and wrapped his head wound. She then helped him to his feet and they began making they're way to an exit.

" Lets get out of here!" 

"But my Saber!It's still in the pile. I can't leave without it" Tanya glared at him, but gently leaned him on a sidewall and went and got it. "Happy?"

"Very" he smiled, taking back his weapon. They made it to the Aerowing where the other were waiting and took off towards home.

****

A few weeks later

They're injuries healed, as all eventually do. 2 weeks of bed rest and Duke was right as rain again. Tanya's arm was better also. There was that name again, Tanya. Tanya, Tanya, Tanya, it was driving him nuts!

He finally caught up to her on the way to her dorm one afternoon. "Hey" He greeted her, slowing his pace to match her own.

"Hi"

"I uh, just wanted to thank you...you know, for back there, saving my life and all, so um, thanks...ya know" '_O god I'm babbling'_ he thought, anxiously rubbing the back of his neck. Tanya noticed it to, but did nothing more then raise an eyebrow.

"Your welcome.." they walked in silence until they reached her door.

"Hey Tanya, I was wondering," he decided to bite the bullet. _'Now or neva' big guy!'_ "…if you would care to join me tonight for dineranamovie." He hurriedly finished, staring at the cracks in the floor tile.

Tanya sighed. "I don't know, Duke, I'm just not ready" she said, before closing her bedroom door. Duke stared at the door for a few second, before sullenly walking down the hall. He heard the "Ssiisshh" of a door opening behind him, and Tanya poked her head out. "But I can be ready by 8" 

^^ El Fin! To make a sequel or no….I have no clue, seeing as this is the longest one piece thing I've ever posted…-.-;;;;


End file.
